Wakefield

Wakefield's population increased by about 10,700 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population reached nearly 330,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Wakefield increased by 3.4%, from about 315,000 to 326,000.

The addition of just under 11,000 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Wakefield was home to, on average, 6.9 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Wakefield

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Wakefield increased by three years, from 38 to 41 years.

This area had a higher average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 8,200 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 10,000.

About 12.0% of people in Wakefield are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Wakefield by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More single parents

Wakefield saw Yorkshire and The Humber's third-largest rise in the proportion of single-parent households.

In 2011, just under one in nine (11.0%) households in Wakefield had a single parent, compared with 9.7% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising a married couple decreased from 39.6% to 34.6%.

Across the region, only Calderdale (from 9.2% to 10.5%) and Craven (from 6.8% to 8.1%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of single-parent households.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of single-parent households, as the regional average grew from 9.5% to 10.4%.

The percentage of households with a single-parent was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households that had a single parent across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Wakefield

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Wakefield was among those who said they had no religion, rising 12.7 points.

In 2011, 24.4% of respondents in Wakefield gave this answer to the question on religion, compared with 11.7% of those who answered in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion that described themselves as having no religion increased from 14.1% to 25.9%, while across England the percentage went from 14.5% to 24.6%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Wakefield, 66.4% said they were Christian, compared with 78.2% in 2001. About 0.1% said they were Sikh, compared with 0.1% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and did not state their religion decreased from 8.3% to 6.4%.

In Wakefield, 6.4% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 8.3% in 2001. In Yorkshire and The Humber, 6.8% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

the population without a religion in Wakefield increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Wakefield by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Wakefield

The percentage of Wakefield residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 4.2% to 4.7% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 7.0%, while the percentage of Wakefield residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 88.8%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.5% in 2001 to 4.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Wakefield, but at a slower rate than in Doncaster (one of the most statistically similar areas to Wakefield based on ONS area classifications).

In Wakefield, the proportion of private renting increased from 5.7% in 2001 to 11.4% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in statistically similar Doncaster increased from 6.6% to 14.8%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of privately rented homes increased from 9.1% to 15.9%.

The rate of social housing in Wakefield fell from 27.8% to 23.6%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 64.8% to 63.6%.

Private renting in Wakefield increased by 5.7 percentage points

Percentage of households in Wakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Wakefield residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 12.3% to 7.7% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (76.8%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 64.6% in 2001. The percentage of Wakefield residents that described their health as fair decreased from 23.1% to 15.5%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10.3% in 2001 to 6.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Wakefield decreased by 4.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Wakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer married people

The percentage of adults in Wakefield that were married decreased from 53.4% to 48.4% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over 3 in 10 (30.9%) people aged 16 and over said they were single, compared with 26.1% in 2001. The percentage of adults in Wakefield that had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased from 11.7% to 13.2%.

The proportion of married people fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 51.9% in 2001 to 47.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 50.6% to 46.6%.

The proportion of married people was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were married across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Wakefield working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 12.2% to 8.7% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just under 1 in 40 (2.3%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.4% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 12.6% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13.0% to 10.1%.

Long hour working in Wakefield decreased by 3.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Wakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of unemployment

The percentage of Wakefield residents that were unemployed increased from 3.5% to 4.9% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over one in two (54.5%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 53.0% in 2001. The percentage of Wakefield residents that were self-employed increased from 5.8% to 6.9%.

The proportion of unemployed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.7% in 2001 to 4.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.4% to 4.4%.

The rate of unemployment in Wakefield increased by 1.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Wakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were unemployed, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Wakefield

In 2011, 2.6% of Wakefield residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from from 1.6% in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 4.7% to 7.3%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 95.4% of people in Wakefield said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 97.7% in 2001. About 0.9% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.5% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.1% to 0.8%.

the population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Wakefield increased by 1.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Wakefield by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Wakefield with only adult children living with their parents remained close to 10.4% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (28.9%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 30.9% in 2001. The percentage of households in Wakefield without children increased from 59.0% to 60.7%.

The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (which remained close to 9.3%). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Wakefield residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.4% to 1.7% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 2.7%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.2% in 2001 to 1.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Wakefield remained close to 1.7%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Wakefield by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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